Author Information

Debra Scott

Debra Scott is a recovering real estate agent, having plied the trade at Whitbread Nolan in Manhattan, Vicki Bagley Realty in Washington, D.C., and Braverman Newbold Brennan before it was purchased by Sotheby’s International Realty.

Articles by this author:

Richard Gere’s six-acre Strongheart estate on North Haven, originally priced at $65 million, has been reduced to $56 million after nine months on the market. The selling agent talks about the art of pricing a property when comps are few and far between.

The particulars of an age-old scenario was played out at an architectural review board hearing in Southampton Village last week. Adrenaline in the room was nearly palpable as a parade of well-heeled citizens streamed into Village Hall. At issue was Joe Farrell’s proposal to erect a 5,135-square-foot house on Hill Street

When it comes to commercial real estate on the South Fork, rumors abound. Come winter, with many shops closed, tongues wag about which are coming and which are going. Don’t necessarily listen to the scuttlebutt.

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We've heard that sauvignon blanc pairs well with fish, but how about chardonnay mixed with prehistoric shark tooth jewelry?

Lieb Cellars East Hampton, the wine tasting room on Park Place in the Reutershan parking lot, is featuring different local vendors on July weekends. The pop-up for July 4th weekend was Fin Jewelry, fine jewelry made of shark teeth and gold by Bella Ornaf, a Montauk shark wrangler, and Whalebone Creative, purveyors of handmade goods inspired by the original Montauk culture.

It made sense when Vineyard Vines, a shop known for preppy apparel, opened in Southampton, land of the Bathing Corp., Meadow Club, and assorted world class golf courses. Having just opened a pop-up store on Main Street in East Hampton Village, the jury is still out on how well it will do in the burgh that is home more to Hollywood types and artists than socialites.

For visitors without cars, residents who want to help alleviate traffic, or those who want an affordable solution to drinking and getting around, the Hamptons Hopper has hit the road.

Last week marked the maiden journey of the "retro chic" shuttle bus that bills itself as a mode of both “transportation and socialization.” The service, with a fleet of sea-green converted school buses, utilizes a mobile app for iPhone (and soon Android) to let riders see where the stops are and when to expect its arrival.

We may pretend we don’t care, but, c’mon, don’t you want to know which Southampton house the Kardashian sisters rented this summer?

Khloe, Kourtney, and presumably Kim, fresh from her betrothal to Kanye West, rented a storefront off Job’s Lane in Southampton and will be filming their reality TV series “Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons,” this summer, based on their adventures. Now, since they will need somewhere to sleep after all their cavorting around town, they have leased digs in North Sea.

Each summer dozens of fitness studios come . . . and go at season’s end. That’s one reason to take notice of Elements Fitness Studio. Opened in July by Andrea Fornarola Hunsberger, a dancer, the bright space on East Hampton’s Newtown Lane with mirrored walls and ballet barres is here to stay year round. The other reason is its focused selection of challenging workouts.

Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, an East Hampton emporium dedicated to selling both rare publications and art, has partnered this summer with Grey Area, an art and design consultancy. With Kyle DeWoody at the helm, Grey Area defines its mission thus: "With art as a starting point, Grey Area seeks to push the limits of creative engagement and expression through collaboration, installation, and programming."

The crew at East Hampton Gourmet Food, an 18-year-old wholesale-retail catering company and bakery off Newtown Lane, are working day and night to prepare enough gluten-free crisp bread to wow some 300 judges. Their lentil-rice crisp bread with sesame pink salt has been nominated for the food industry’s prestigious SOFI Award, an acronym that stands for specialty outstanding food innovation. The awards honor members of the Specialty Food Association who “represent culinary innovation across America and around the globe,” according to its website.